Post by Beach Police on Oct 29, 2007 10:09:58 GMT -5
US may freeze Kosovo status
October 29, 2007
Diplomats at the US State Department are considering a moratorium on the status of Kosovo for next 12 years along with plans to inject huge sums of money to pay off Kosovo Albanians in hope that the pay-off would help the collapsed economy, reveals Kosovo Albanian newspaper Express.
An unnamed State Department official told this newspaper that US faces an option of recognizing Kosovo Albanian separatist demands and thus cause numerous global problems or postpone the status for some later date and relax regional tensions.
"There are two issues in front of us: to recognize the independence of Kosovo together with a group of states, while causing major global and regional problems, a solution that will not lead to a better economy for your country; or to give up formal independence for several years, by relaxing the entire region, but this solution would serve as a catalyst for Kosovo’s economic development," the unnamed source is quoted as saying.
This new possible American approach comes amidst direct talks, led by an international Troika, between Serbian officials and Kosovo Albanian separatists who have issued an ultimatum that they will unilaterally declare independence on December 10 irrespective of anything that is proposed at the status talks.
The amount of the American pay-off to the Kosovo Albanian side is rumored to be about 7 billion Euros.
However, according to the German representative of the negotiating Troika, Wolfgang Ischinger, a negotiated solution is possible before December 10, but that would require a willingness to compromise.
"We are not thinking about independence as something unrestrained. Instead, Kosovo will continue to be supervised by the presence of EU and NATO missions," said Ischinger.
However, Kosovo Albanian negotiating member, Veton Surroi, called on Kosovo Albanian institutions to set the independence date, adding that it should be after the end of the negotiations led by the Troika.
"We have arrived at a point where we are tired of negotiating and need to make decisions," Surroi said.
October 29, 2007
Diplomats at the US State Department are considering a moratorium on the status of Kosovo for next 12 years along with plans to inject huge sums of money to pay off Kosovo Albanians in hope that the pay-off would help the collapsed economy, reveals Kosovo Albanian newspaper Express.
An unnamed State Department official told this newspaper that US faces an option of recognizing Kosovo Albanian separatist demands and thus cause numerous global problems or postpone the status for some later date and relax regional tensions.
"There are two issues in front of us: to recognize the independence of Kosovo together with a group of states, while causing major global and regional problems, a solution that will not lead to a better economy for your country; or to give up formal independence for several years, by relaxing the entire region, but this solution would serve as a catalyst for Kosovo’s economic development," the unnamed source is quoted as saying.
This new possible American approach comes amidst direct talks, led by an international Troika, between Serbian officials and Kosovo Albanian separatists who have issued an ultimatum that they will unilaterally declare independence on December 10 irrespective of anything that is proposed at the status talks.
The amount of the American pay-off to the Kosovo Albanian side is rumored to be about 7 billion Euros.
However, according to the German representative of the negotiating Troika, Wolfgang Ischinger, a negotiated solution is possible before December 10, but that would require a willingness to compromise.
"We are not thinking about independence as something unrestrained. Instead, Kosovo will continue to be supervised by the presence of EU and NATO missions," said Ischinger.
However, Kosovo Albanian negotiating member, Veton Surroi, called on Kosovo Albanian institutions to set the independence date, adding that it should be after the end of the negotiations led by the Troika.
"We have arrived at a point where we are tired of negotiating and need to make decisions," Surroi said.